Shelton church vandalized

Michael P. Mayko

Updated 10:05 pm, Monday, June 10, 2013

Vandals destroyed the statue of the Virgin Mary and caused an estimated $40,000 in damage to St. Margaret Mary Church in Shelton, Conn. early Monday morning, June 10, 2013.
Photo: BK Angeletti, B.K. Angeletti

Vandals destroyed the statue of the Virgin Mary and caused an...

Grounds workers mop up oil that vandals poured all over St. Margaret Mary Church in Shelton, Conn. early Monday morning, June 10, 2013. The vandals destroyed statues, the bingo board, and caused an estimated $40,000 in damage to the church.
Photo: BK Angeletti, B.K. Angeletti

Grounds workers mop up oil that vandals poured all over St....

Vandals destroyed statues and caused an estimated $40,000 in damage to St. Margaret Mary Church in Shelton, Conn. early Monday morning, June 10, 2013.
Photo: BK Angeletti, B.K. Angeletti

Vandals destroyed statues and caused an estimated $40,000 in damage...

Vandals poured oil all over and caused an estimated $40,000 in damage to St. Margaret Mary Church in Shelton, Conn. early Monday morning, June 10, 2013.
Photo: BK Angeletti, B.K. Angeletti

Vandals poured oil all over and caused an estimated $40,000 in...

Vandals destroyed the tabernacle and caused an estimated $40,000 in damage to St. Margaret Mary Church in Shelton, Conn. early Monday morning, June 10, 2013.
Photo: BK Angeletti, B.K. Angeletti

Vandals destroyed the tabernacle and caused an estimated $40,000 in...

A grounds worker takes away a statue of the Virgin Mary that vandals destroyed at St. Margaret Mary Church in Shelton, Conn. Monday, June 10, 2013. They caused caused an estimated $40,000 in damage to the church.
Photo: BK Angeletti, B.K. Angeletti

A grounds worker takes away a statue of the Virgin Mary that...

The Rev. John Strynkowski talks with press after vandals caused an estimated $40,000 in damage to St. Margaret Mary Church in Shelton, Conn. early Monday morning, June 10, 2013.
Photo: BK Angeletti, B.K. Angeletti

The Rev. John Strynkowski talks with press after vandals caused an...

Joe Tassitano was not able to have a mass for his son Howie on Monday morning because vandals caused an estimated $40,000 in damage to St. Margaret Mary Church in Shelton, Conn. in the early hours.
Photo: BK Angeletti, B.K. Angeletti

Joe Tassitano was not able to have a mass for his son Howie on...

Vandals destroyed the statue of the Virgin Mary and caused an estimated $40,000 in damage to St. Margaret Mary Church in Shelton, Conn. early Monday morning, June 10, 2013.
Photo: BK Angeletti, B.K. Angeletti

Vandals destroyed the statue of the Virgin Mary and caused an...

Vandals destroyed statues and caused an estimated $40,000 in damage to St. Margaret Mary Church in Shelton, Conn. early Monday morning, June 10, 2013.
Photo: BK Angeletti, B.K. Angeletti

Vandals destroyed statues and caused an estimated $40,000 in damage...

Vandals caused an estimated $40,000 in damage to St. Margaret Mary Church in the very early hours of Monday, June 10, 2013. They destroyed the statute of the Virgin Mary that stood in front of the church in Shelton, Conn.
Photo: B.K. Angeletti

SHELTON -- The banner flapping gently in the breeze outside St. Margaret Mary Church proclaims "A Beacon of Hope."

Surrounding it Monday was the darkness of hate.

Not far away, the Blessed Virgin is slammed to the ground, her granite body split into pieces.

Inside the church, the body of Jesus is ripped from its cross, severing its left arm at the shoulder. The altar is toppled over. The tabernacle, with its Communion hosts locked inside, is torn from bolts and tossed to the ground. Shreds of shattered glass hang threateningly from an entrance door's sidelight -- resulting from a coat-rack battering. Trails of oil wind over pews, across carpeting and down stairs -- a sign, parishioners believe, of intent to burn the church to the ground.

For what might have been several hours between 1 and 5 a.m. on Monday, someone, or more than one, caused more than $40,000 in damage to the 37-year-old building, which sits by an obscure road off the mostly residential Long Hill Avenue.

Vandals didn't stop with the church. The Rev. John Strynkowski's two-week-old, 2014 Chevrolet Impala and his 1977 Chevelle were splattered with white paint.

"This is a hate crime," said the Rev. Nello Barachini, an 85-year-old priest living out his retirement in residence at the church. "They knew the symbols of the Roman Catholic religion and targeted them."

Rachel Ranis, a professor emeritus of sociology at Quinnipiac University, said the vandalism was about emotion and anger.

"Whoever did this was sending a message," she said. "They went after symbols of religious belief. To me, that means they are angry at the church, something it represents or a particular person there."

Just who and why is unknown for now. Detective Sgt. Kevin Ahern said the Shelton Police Department is "actively investigating" but has no suspects. Nothing was reported stolen from the church.

Had the vandals waited a day or two, their identity might be known.

"I just bought security cameras at Best Buy on Friday," said Strynkowski, a licensed electrician. "I would have had them up this week."

He said the vandals jimmied a rear door, giving them access to the parish hall in the basement. There they poured oil over tables, chairs and the electronic bingo machine, damaging the circuit boards, before climbing the stairs and entering the church. Before leaving, they tore all the teak statues off the crying-room walls, ripping the hands off each one.

A small bottle of mechanic's cutting oil was found outside.

"They used more than that," said parishioner Joseph Tassitano. "It was poured all over the inside."

For Tassitano, Monday's attack hurts doubly. Not only did it close his church, but it forced cancellation of a Mass celebrating the memory of his son, Howie. The 18-year-old Shelton High student was killed in a head-on crash just a week before his graduation, 12 years ago.

"That Mass helps us heal as a family," said Tassitano, who lives nearby. "This destruction is pretty terrible. It was calculated."

Tassitano was one of several parishioners, like David Nordin and Andrew Sheldon, who rushed to their church after hearing the news.

"It's a disgrace," said Nordin who agreed "it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment act. It had to be planned."

"It's so sad someone would do this," added Sheldon. "This is like my second home."